Never Let Go
by RosieRoxx
Summary: Jack and Rose continue their life together after Titanic, making their dreams come true. But someone wants to disturb their happiness. What has become of Cal? My first story, please R&R.
1. Never Let Go

Never Let Go

Chapter One

"Is there anyone alive out there?! Can anyone hear me?" Officer Lowe shouted into the darkness. Realising that they waited too long to rescue any remaining survivors, it was the worst moment of his life.  
"Well keep checking them!" he commanded his men, as they began to lose hope. They manoeuvred their oars through debris from the 'Unsinkable Ship', belongings, and worst of all, frozen, motionless bodies, floating in the freezing water.  
"Can anyone hear me?!"

Rose's heart was breaking. Until now, she had been numb to any feeling whatsoever due to the -2 degree water, but now, all she could feel was great pain, soaring through her body. How could she go on without Jack? How could she even imagine life without him from this point onwards?  
Jack Dawson, the only man she had ever loved, the man who had saved her, was gone.  
Silent tears barely escaped her eyes before they turned to icicles on her pale face. All hope was gone.  
She laid her head back down on the wood which had spared her life and cruelly taken Jack's, and stared up at the stars above her. She began to sob, as the realisation of what had happened took hold of her. Images flashed through her mind as she closed her eyes, trying to escape this nightmare.  
She would never drink cheap beer in Santa Monica and ride the rollercoaster with Jack until they threw up. They would never be married, nor have children. She would never share her life with him like she had imagined just hours ago.  
Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She had made a promise to Jack that she was not going to break. She must do him the honour, and live her life to the full. She wouldn't die tonight.  
Lifting her head, she spotted a whistle in Chief Officer Wilde's mouth, who she recognised from the ship. He too was dead.  
_Will the boats be too far away by now? I have to try, _she thought._  
_Her hand was frozen to Jack's. She breathed on the ice, melting it a little. She unclasped their hands, and kissed Jack's hand one last time.

"I'll never let go. I promise", she whispered to him. Rose was about to let his body sink into the ocean, when the sound of Jack's voice made her stop in her tracks.  
"G-Good. I l- l-love you Rose". He had trouble summoning enough breath to speak, but he could feel himself drifting away, feel the bitter temperature take hold, and he needed to tell Rose how he felt before it was too late.  
Rose's heart soared! Her body was now filled with ecstasy and hope.  
_How could I have been so stupid! _She thought to herself._ How could I have given up on him?!  
_"There's a boat Jack! But it's getting further and further away!"  
"You n-n-need to find help R-R-Rose. Attract their attention somehow, an-anyhow!" he choked.  
"I can see a whistle Jack. We'll be ok, just hold on just a little bit longer!" Rose slid off the wood, into the freezing water, and let out a gasp.

Meanwhile, Jack scrambled onto the wood, feeling instant relief from the cold, but only for a moment. The bitter April air chilled his bones and he prayed Rose would be alright. As long as she was safe, that was all that mattered. He would give his life for his beautiful Rose.  
She splashed towards the Officer, and snatched the whistle from his mouth. She blew on it with as much energy as she could summon, again and again.

"Come about!!" Officer Lowe screamed, shining his torch in all directions.  
Rose kept blowing on the whistle, she wouldn't give up. She had to save Jack, just like he had saved her.  
After what seemed like hours, the boats had reached them. Rose turned to look at Jack, he had done what she'd asked, and held on.  
She managed a weak smile as she saw his sapphire eyes sparkle and fill with joy, no matter how tired, cold and weak he was.  
Officer Lowe helped Rose onto the boat first, where she was met with immediate assistance including warm blankets. She lay down; her heart filled with relief, although she knew it was not over yet. She wouldn't be completely happy until Jack was safe and well.  
In turn, Jack was helped onto the boat, where he wrapped a blanket tightly around himself, and sat down next to Rose.  
She lifted her head and let it rest against him. Jack showered her face in kisses, while his eyes glistened with tears. He held her tightly in his arms, keeping her warm and wanting to keep her safe and protect her from all the hurt in the world.  
Exhausted, they fell asleep with each other, transported to a dream world filled with just the two of them.  
Their new life was about to begin, and they would make each day count.


	2. I can see the Statue of Liberty already!

21.06.09

Chapter 2

I Can See The Statue Of Liberty Already

I woke up to the sound of rain, lashing against the window. When I was younger I used to imagine the rain cleansed the world, washing away all evil and hurt.  
I would sit at the window for hours, watching the rain splash down from the skies into puddles far below.  
When I got slightly older, I realised such things cannot just be drained away like soap down a plughole. It was about the same time I realised Santa Claus and the Tooth fairy were not real.  
The first few seconds after you've woken up are absolute bliss. You bask in ignorance before you remember where you are and how you have wound up there.  
I smiled to myself before actually wondering where I was, and as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my beautiful Jack, lying next to me, still fast asleep.  
I wondered what time it was, how we had ended up here, and in horror, wondered what had become of my mother and Cal.  
But all that could wait.

I snuggled up closer to Jack, trying not to wake him. He had been through a lot that night, we both had, and he had nearly given his life to save me.  
As I lay there next to him, I felt so free. My new life with Jack was about to start and I couldn't be happier. For the first time in my life I was in love, and it felt amazing.  
I had broken free of the shackles of upper class life, and my new life was in complete contrast to my old one.  
Cal had treated me like an object, and expected me to tend to his every need, whereas Jack loved me for me, he treated me as an equal and not as a trophy wife.  
But there was a nagging thought in the back of my mind.  
What if, after everything we had been through, and after everything that had happened last night, Jack didn't want to be with me anymore?  
What if he wanted to continue his career of art in America, or travel with his friends?  
I quickly brushed that thought away. _No, Jack wants me...doesn't he?_

It was at this point that I began to take in my surroundings. I was in an average sized room of a large ship, though smaller than the Titanic. Looking through the windows, I could see straight out onto the deck of the ship; however I couldn't see any further as a heavy fog had masked any views from sight.  
I realised I was in what must be a dining room, with all the tables and chairs pushed back to the sides of the room, to make room for the other survivors.  
Suddenly I noticed Jack and I were not alone. The room was full of people of all ages, the majority being women and children. I recognised a few people from Steerage in Titanic, and staff were milling around, taking peoples names.  
I glanced around for Fabrizio, Tommy, Helga and Cora and her family, but I could see none of them. I assumed they would be in another room.  
I turned my attention back to Jack. He was so beautiful. His blond hair covered part of his tanned skin on his face, so I reached over and brushed the hair out of his eyes. They opened a fraction, and I smiled down at him, with my hand still holding his face.  
I could tell he was tired and weak, but he leant up to kiss me tenderly. The kiss slowly became more passionate, it seemed just a few hours ago when we first kissed, yet so much had happened.  
We suddenly realised we were not alone, and ended the kiss. He kissed me gently on the tip of my nose, and butterflies raced through my stomach even at Jack's mere touch.

'Jack, I...I don't know how to thank you. You saved me life...I...I'  
Jack smiled at me and took me in his arms.  
'Rose, it's ok. I would do anything for you. I would go to the end of the world and back with you. I know we have only known each other for three days now, but I feel something I've never felt before, I feel complete, and it's you that makes me feel this way Rose.' he replied.

I choked back tears at his words; my doubts about him wanting to spend his life with me slowly disappeared.  
'Jack I couldn't agree with you more, it's crazy, it really is. But it feels so right.' I smiled up at him. 'I was worried you wouldn't want me, that I would be forced to go back to my old life and marry Cal.'

'I would never make you do that!' Jack exclaimed, clearly upset. 'You know me Rose. That's why you saved me last night. You _knew_ I didn't steal the diamond, and you must know I only want what is best for you. If you married Cal, sooner or later you would want to break free again, and considering you were about to jump off the back of a boat last time, God only knows what you would do next time. You and I were put on this world to fall in love with each other, and we have. Please tell me you'll get off this ship with me?'

'Oh Jack of course I will! I'm going to stick to my promise, I will never let go, and that means I'm coming with you, you don't have a say in the matter,' I giggled.

Jack could only hold me tighter after what I said, and I didn't mind his lack of words at all. We lay together for about an hour, until a member of staff came to talk to us. He told us we were on board the Carpathia, and would be docking in New York in about six hours. It was 2 O'clock in the afternoon. We were brought food, and for the remainder of the day, we lay together, just enjoying each other's company, and not believing how lucky we were.

*****************  
It was about half past eight when we finally docked in New York.  
It had poured down all day. I had laid on Jacks warm chest, listening to his heart beat steadily, and the pitter patter of the tumultuous rain against the windows and onto the deck.  
Jack reached for my hand and held me close as we waited to be let off the Carpathia. I stared deep into his beautiful eyes.  
'I love you Jack,' I whispered, and pressed my lips against his.  
'I love you too, my angel' he kissed me back and looked happier than I had ever seen him look.  
We slowly made our way off the ship, and I gasped in amazement as the first thing I saw was the huge Statue of Liberty, in all its glory.  
Jack wrapped me up in his arms as we gazed up at it. Passengers and staff were running around under umbrellas, but we didn't care that we were getting wet. All we cared about was each other.

All passengers had been told to wait once leaving the ship, for a final name check. Staff were hurriedly writing survivor's names down on clipboards.  
Finally, a friendly looking man in a black uniform came to us.  
'Can I take your name please love?' he asked me.

A sudden rush of excitement came over me, and before I could stop myself, I replied,  
'Dawson. Rose Dawson.'  
I glanced up at Jack, he was blushing with surprise and joy, and nodded.  
'Jack Dawson.' He told the man, before we left, hand in hand, to start our new life.


	3. King of the World

01.09.09

King Of The World

Jack's POV

I turned the brass key in the lock and the large pine door sprung open. Rose and I walked into the small room, ironically glad that we'd had no luggage to carry up the four flights of stairs we had just climbed.

Surveying the hotel room, we noticed the double bed, en-suite bathroom, dressing table and mirror, and bay window which overlooked New York. It wasn't as glamorous as Rose's accommodation on board Titanic but it was certainly better than any hotel I'd ever stayed in.

'Does this meet your standards Mr Dawson?' Rose asked jokingly, in a fake servants voice.

'Hmmm it does not have the freedom of the park I'm used to, or the noise of sleeping under a bridge, but I won't miss the rats!' I grinned, putting on a snobbish voice and turning my nose up at my surroundings.

Rose laughed, and walked over to me. I embraced her tightly, never wanting to let go.  
We were both soaking wet and freezing, but that was the last thing on our minds right now.  
We stayed in that position for a few minutes; until Rose decided it would be best to dry ourselves off. We had no other clothes, so we undressed and wrapped ourselves in towels, draping our wet clothes over chairs near the fire that had been lit before we arrived.

Half an hour later, I let myself fall backwards onto the soft bed Rose and I would soon share, lifting my feet off the floor and resting my head back on my hands. Last night had been physically and emotionally exhausting, but I didn't want to sleep, I didn't want to miss a moment of being with Rose.  
Despite my happiness and utter relief, a nagging thought plagued my mind... _what had become of Cal? Had he survived? Would he be looking for us right now?  
_I quickly brushed those thoughts away, and turned to Rose.  
She sat at the dressing table stool, in front of the mirror, wearing my white shirt (which had dried quickly because of the thin material), and suspenders draped around her. I had never seen her like this before and it made me fully appreciate her beautiful body, better than any Parisian girl I had ever seen.

She raised a hand to her head, and unclipped her long red hair, letting it fall freely down her back. She shook it slowly and curls bounced on her shoulders, I smiled to myself and closed my eyes.  
I was the luckiest man in the world, just five days ago, on Wednesday 10th April, I had seen Rose for the first time, and had thought I would never have a chance in the world of being with her. Now I was alone in a hotel room with her, ready to start our new life together. I was bewildered, I had nothing to offer her yet she still wanted to be with me. I wanted to make this beautiful woman my wife, I had never had feelings like this before. It all seemed too perfect to be true. I felt like I really was the king of the world.

I suddenly felt lips press against my forehead, and a warm body lowering itself onto mine. I looked up at Rose sleepily, and kissed her back passionately.

'Jack you must be cold in just that towel, let me go and see if my clothes are dry yet and you can have your shirt back.'  
I didn't reply, just watched as Rose stood up and dropped my shirt to the floor. My eyes widened at the sight of her naked body as she walked away from me. I had never seen someone so beautiful.

Rose picked up the thick jacket Cal had given to her.  
'Hmm, still damp', she said vaguely, as she set it back down on the chair and began to make her way back to the bed.  
There was a loud clinking noise and Rose stopped in her tracks and spun round, a look of shock and excitement on her face.  
'Jack....'  
I sat up quickly and looked at the floor. My heart raced as I saw there, before Rose's feet, lay the heart of the ocean, shimmering up at us just as it had done the first time I saw it, still in pristine condition.

'Jack you know what this means don't you?' Rose whispered excitedly, 'We can sell this and use the money to find somewhere to live while we look for jobs!'

I nodded, and reached over to the jacket to check the pockets. Something told me this wasn't all Cal would take from his safe.  
I pulled out a huge wad of money, more than I had ever seen.  
'Wow, Rose I knew Cal was rich but I had no idea...' I trailed off, reminding myself of that evil man who could offer Rose a better life than I ever could.

Rose shrugged. 'There are more important things in life than money Jack'. She wrapped her arms around me and began to kiss me enthusiastically before pushing me forward and toppling onto the bed on top of me.

'Take me to the stars again Jack', she whispered seductively in my ear, and I could do nothing but agree to her request.


	4. It's a beautiful day

02.09.09

Chapter 4  
It's a beautiful day

Rose awoke early the next morning to the sight of the sun peeking through a gap in the red velvet curtains, casting glittering golden shadows across the room.  
Birds were singing sweetly outside, and as Rose lay there, she smiled to herself and couldn't help thinking how wonderful her life had suddenly become.  
She loosened the grip of Jack's arm around her waist, and turned around to face him.  
His stunning sapphire eyes were still closed, and his breathing was undisturbed, Rose almost didn't want to wake him.

'_He must be exhausted' _thought Rose sadly. The terror of two nights ago was still apparent in their eyes, it had been such a long night, and Rose knew they would never forget it.

She shuffled closer to Jack and kissed the tip of his nose gently.  
No response.  
She wrapped her arms around his neck delicately, and began to kiss his soft lips.  
He twitched and mumbled 'too tired...'  
Rose smiled to herself. She tickled his neck teasingly, and kissed him until she began to kiss back, eyes still closed.  
She began to grow impatient, and eventually gave in, realising that Jack wasn't going to get up yet. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece.  
Ten past 8.  
Deciding to run a bath for Jack and her, Rose dragged herself out of bed, away from Jack and into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later Rose was about to wake Jack up, when everything went dark and she felt someone's hands covering her eyes.  
'Guess who?' a sleepy voice asked.  
Rose smiled and turned around to kiss her mystery man.  
'I was just about to come and wake you honey, you looked so peaceful before, so I thought I'd let you have ten more minutes'.  
'Aw well aren't you kind?' Jack grinned cheekily.  
'Don't get used to it Dawson, I can't always be Mrs Nice Guy' Rose winked, with mock annoyance in her voice.

They climbed in the hot bath together, talking and enjoying each other's company. Both Jack and Rose had grown up as the only children in their families, so they weren't used to having somebody always there.  
Rose had been much lonelier than Jack growing up, many days, the only company she would have was her mother and Trudy, their maid, after her father died, whereas Jack had made friends easily wherever he travelled.  
Rose washed Jack's dirty blonde hair, and then Jack returned the favour, which took considerably longer as Rose's hair was so long.

'I love how your hair looks down Rose, you look free...like the night you were gonna jump. You were breathtaking, but I thought you would be another debutante, not interested in a guy like me. But when I spoke to you for the first time, I realised you were wild, it just needed to be unleashed from you, you had a fire about you Rose, and I love it.'

'Thank you Jack, I hated wearing my hair up all the time, and dressing like my mother. But I had no choice, my mother would say 'we're women Rose...we must live to please men in any way we can, that's just the way the world works'. The first time I spoke to you I knew there was something special, but I never imagined it would end up like this... and the day you told me about all the things you have done in your life, I thought wow, this man has really lived, you brought a sudden spark of excitement and danger into my life and I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to live like you have, making every day count.' Rose replied, and her eyes began to well up with tears.

'And we will sweetheart; we'll make every _moment_ together count, because we're so lucky to have each other right now.'

Half an hour later, Rose had just finished drying her hair and looked again at the clock.  
9 O'clock exactly.  
She thought back to three nights ago, and could clearly see in her mind the large clock chiming 8 O'clock as she walked up the Grand Staircase to meet Jack. He had looked so handsome in his suit, like a new man.  
_'Make it count'_, she thought.

'Hey Jack honey, we've missed breakfast, it finished at nine...' Rose picked up some earrings from the dressing table, the only jewellery she had been wearing the night the Titanic sunk, and slid them through the holes in her ears.  
'Oh that's ok, I was kinda wanting to do something a little different today anyway, how do you feel about going out for breakfast?' Jack replied, slipping his still damp shoes onto his feet, and tying the laces.  
Rose smiled at the look of anxiety in Jack's eyes, as if he were asking her approval, when she couldn't think of any other way she would rather spend her morning than eating breakfast with the man she loved.  
'That sounds great Jack! You don't have to ask me anyway, you know I'm happy to do anything with you.'  
Jack smiled with relief.  
'Good, cause there are a few other things I would like to do today, but I just thought I'd make sure you were ok with that first,' he said, and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth, leaving Rose in suspense.  
She quickly followed him.  
'Hey, Jack! Jack? What have you got planned huh? Tell me... please?', she opened her eyes wide and Jack couldn't resist the puppy dog look.  
Rose tugged on his shirt sleeve in a way that resembled a child tugging at a parent's clothing for attention.  
Jack chuckled and gave in.  
'Well Rose, first I thought we could spend some of that money Cal oh so generously gave us, we can't stay in these clothes forever! And then I thought perhaps taking a closer look at the Statue of Liberty, and then maybe a picnic in Central Park...maybe?' he said uncertainly, 'but we can do something else if you want...' he trailed off.  
For what felt like the millionth time that morning, Rose felt a smile slowly creeping across her face, lighting up her eyes and showing off her bright white teeth. It was the kind of smile that made Jack's heart swell with pride and happiness at the thought that Rose was all his, and that he would be spending so much time with her over the years, growing to know and love her more than he already did.

'That sounds like so much fun Jack! I've never been for a real picnic in a park before, mother always said it was common, and dining in a gazebo outside is the closest I've come to that kind of thing.' Rose smiled with excitement in her voice.  
'Then that's what we shall do, my princess.' Jack kissed her on the forehead, 'Dawson style'.

***

After a long morning of shopping for clothes and other necessities, and a little bit of sightseeing, Rose was glad to be settling down for a picnic.  
It had been several hours since they had eaten breakfast at a small intimate cafe just two minutes from their hotel, and Rose was getting quite hungry.  
She set a picnic blanket down on the ground while Jack had popped to a local supermarket to buy some food, and admired the scenery around her.  
Many different coloured birds were singing; perched on beautiful trees, all different shades of green. Children were playing happily; fathers were running around with kites and their kids in tow, while mothers looked on worriedly in case their child tripped or got into some kind of trouble.  
A young couple who could not be any older than Rose and Jack sat on a bench nearby, with only eyes for each other.  
An old man reading a newspaper was batting away a wasp every few seconds, while trying to eat a sandwich at the same time.  
Rose smiled at the different sights, smells and sounds of the city. She had only been to New York once before, to a gala with her mother, and she had certainly not experienced the beautiful, bustling city like this. Jack could show her things in a different light; that she wouldn't have had the chance to notice in her upper class life.  
Stretching out across the checked blanket, Rose noticed Jack was returning, two paper bags in hand.

Five minutes later, they were tucking into a hot dog each; Rose had never tried one before and thought it was delicious. They also had sandwiches, potato salad, apple pie and lemonade.  
After they had finished most of the food, they lay down on the blanket together for a while, staring up at the clouds and pointing out funny shapes to each other.

'Jack, that one looks like a train, with steam coming out the top, don't you think?'  
'Yeah now you mention it Rose it does, I thought it looked more like something else at first' Jack blushed.  
Rose giggled, 'Lets take a walk over to the pond, there's some bread left to feed the ducks right?'  
'Yep, you go on honey and I'll pack this stuff up.' Jack replied, sitting up and squinting in the sunlight.  
Jack and Rose spent the remainder of the afternoon in the park, just enjoying being together, laughing and talking. They decided to return one day as there was so much to do there.

At about half past five, they returned back to the hotel, and Jack had another surprise in store for Rose.  
He set the bags full of clothes down on the bed and turned to face her.  
'Rose would you like to go out for dinner tonight? I noticed a small Italian place while I was at the store. It looked really nice and not too expensive. Not that money is an object now but I would really rather spend that on a house when we've decided where we would like to live.'  
Rose felt her heart miss a beat and her cheeks flushed when she hear Jack mention buying a house together. She wanted nothing more than to live with Jack.  
'Yeah I would love to go out for dinner, I love Italian food.' She smiled, 'Oh and Jack? We are going to have to talk about what we plan to do after this you know, maybe tomorrow?'  
'Sounds good honey. How long will you take to get ready?'.  
'Umm, give me half an hour. I'll wear one of my new dresses!' Rose said excitedly. She loved her new clothes, they were not as posh and restricting as the attire she had been forced to wear while living an upper class life. Most of her new dresses were made of floaty material and were beautiful pastel colours like lavender.  
She slipped one of her more formal dresses over her head. It was dark green with a black sash and black netting over it, and slipped on a pair of comfortable yet stylish heels. Twenty minutes later, she was satisfied with her appearance, her hair flowed freely down her back and she had only a little make up on.

Jack took her hand and they walked outside the hotel, where they hailed a cab.  
They soon arrived at the restaurant.  
'Now would you guys like picking up too?' the friendly cab driver asked.  
'No thanks, we'll walk back. It's a beautiful night.' Jack handed the driver the money and Rose and he walked into the restaurant.  
It seemed like a friendly place, a man not much older than Jack led them to their table, which was next to a window overlooking a river.  
Shortly after they had ordered, their food came, with a complimentary bowl of bread rolls.  
Italian arias were playing softly in the background, and both Rose and Jack felt very happy.  
'May I take your plates?' a young man came over to their table as soon as they were finished.  
Neither Jack nor Rose noticed, as they were too busy gazing into each others eyes.  
'Ahem.' The main half coughed, half spoke, and Jack jumped out of his trance, looking embarrassed.  
'That was great, thank you!' he smiled, and paid the man.

The air was a bit chillier outside, and Rose wished she had brought a shawl. Jack gave her his jacket, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She leant her head on this shoulder, and they walked down the street together in a world of their own.  
They walked down the river, and all they could hear was the gentle splashing of water and cars in the distance.  
When they came to a secluded place, filled with trees, Jack stopped. His face shone in the moonlight and his eyes were filled with warmth and love for Rose.  
'I just want to say thank you Rose.'  
'What for Jack? You've done so much for me today...' Rose asked confusedly.  
'For changing your mind, for choosing me, and making me so happy. I know I can't offer you much but I want to make you the happiest woman in the world.'  
'You already have' Rose whispered, before kissing Jack passionately. 'Let's go home Jack'.  
And together they walked hand in hand, back to the hotel, where once again they would spend the night in the stars.


	5. Nightmares and Dreams

04.09.09

**Author's Note:  
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! I'm really enjoying writing it at the moment and the reviews are motivating me even more!  
Also it's gonna get a lot more interesting once they reach Santa Monica I promise! **

Chapter 5

Nightmares and Dreams

Rose's POV

The bitter cold attacked my body, seeping through my clothes and my skin. I could feel the glacial water slowly freeze me, until even my bones were affected and I could barely move.

_Pure pain_ were not the words to describe how I was feeling, I took a gasp of air but it harmed my lungs to breathe and I choked on a mouthful of salty water.

Shivering violently, I scrambled back onto the makeshift raft Jack had made me lie on. I only wished he wasn't so noble and would share the raft with me, or claim it for himself.

I blew onto my hands but only cold air came out of my mouth, making no difference to my quickly decreasing body temperature. Tears stained my pale face, and pretty soon I knew icicles would glue my eyelids shut.

I fought to keep my eyes open, and tried to take another deep breath. A stabbing pain hit my chest as soon as succeeded. With as much energy as I could muster, I turned my body to face Jack, clinging onto the side of the raft, a vacant smile on his face and his hands numb.

Jack had been wrong. Oh how he'd been wrong. The immense agony I was feeling was not that of a thousand knives. Oh no. It was so much worse than a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body.

I closed my eyes and laid my head back with a thud, wondering when this torture would end.  
My eyes clicked open just as quickly as they had closed, I couldn't give up! I had just promised Jack I would live on, and although my heart ached to think of it, if Jack died tonight, I must do him the honour of never letting go of my promise.

But no, I didn't want that. How could I live without Jack? He had saved me, freed me, but I wasn't strong enough to go on without him. He was everything to me now. I had risked my life for him, and now he was doing the same for me. If we couldn't be together in life, we would be together in death, in heaven, in peace.

Forever.

I couldn't feel my body. I knew we were both going to die tonight. But as Jack gazed into my eyes, never taking his eyes off me, I knew I would die in peace, knowing that I had found my true love, and hadn't wasted a moment with him the past couple of days. That was more than some people achieved in a lifetime. And it was enough for me.

The screams around me were growing fainter, people were giving up. It was getting quiet.

It was eerie and frightening, compared to the struggle for rafts and lifebelts when Titanic had first sunk. There was no more thrashing around, whistling, and desperate screams of 'Help us!'

'I love you Rose. You never forget that.' Jack whispered, his voice was raspy and he knew we didn't have long left, just as I did.

I managed a weak smile in return, and he kissed my icy hands. His lips were blue and chapped. How I wish I could swap places with him now. _Please let Jack live, take me instead!_ I prayed silently in my head.

How hopeless it all seemed.

I stared up at the stars. Orion, Sirius... My father had often taken me out on clear nights and showed me different constellations. How I missed him, but I would be with him soon.

'Come Josephine in my flying machine, going up she goes, up she goes, balance yourself like a bird on beam, in the air she goes, there she goes...' I tried to sing, but could barely whisper my favourite song. Mine and Jack's song.

I turned my head to speak to Jack again.

My heart skipped a beat, Jack! I was too late to grasp his hand as it left the raft, and I saw his body slowly floating away, down into the ocean.

I plunged my hand into the freezing water and managed to grab Jack's shirt, but his weight pulled me down and my hand slipped!

'Jack!!'I screamed, reaching for his hand. I couldn't reach him and he was sinking further and further.

He was dying before my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it!

'No...NO! JACK!' I screamed again, tears stinging my eyes. The last thing I saw was his body sinking into the abyss that was the North Atlantic, his eyes open and staring, his face pale, his lips blue.

'JACK!!!!'

'Rose, Rose it's ok! You were having a nightmare, that's all. It's not real, I'm here. Shhhh.' I sat bolt upright in bed, sweating and shaking, and Jack took me in his arms.

'Oh Jack! Thank God! I dreamt we were on the Titanic again, it had sunk and we were in the water! I was losing you and there was nothing I could do about it!' I choked out as tears prickled my eyes.

'Shhhh Rose it's ok. You're never gonna lose me sweetheart. I'm here.' Jack held me tightly and his calming words soothed me.

I buried my face into his chest and began to sob. That night would haunt me forever.

'Try and get some sleep honey, we're up early in the morning remember?' Jack said kindly.

I nodded, but knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Still shaking, I snuggled up close to Jack, his arm around my shoulders and my head on his chest, listening to his steady heart beat.

***

What seemed like hours later, Jack and I were wandering through a busy street in New York. We had been staying at the Royal Liberty hotel for over a week now, and we had decided to move to Santa Monica and start a new life there. I couldn't be more excited!

We were leaving that night, on a train which would take three days. I wasn't looking forward to the journey, but we were both determined not to set foot on another ship for as long as we absolutely had to.

Jack had promised to show me around Santa Monica, take me to all the places we had talked about, and introduce me to old friends. I was finally starting the life I had dreamed of living ever since I met Jack.

'How many more shops honey? My feet hurt...' I asked Jack. My arms were aching from the bags we were carrying, and my feet were sore from walking over cobbled street after cobbled street. I wished I'd worn more sensible shoes.

'Ummm, actually Rose I think we're done.' Jack checked his list. We were shopping for necessities we would need for our first few days in Santa Monica, until we found our feet.

I smiled sweetly; glad to be heading back to the hotel.

'So what time is the train again Jack? And what time should I be ready for?' I asked, even though Jack must have told me a million times.

Jack didn't answer me, and I turned to face him. He had a vague expression on his face and had stopped in his tracks a few paces behind me.

Suddenly he dropped his share of the bags, shopping rolling down the street, and ran towards a large blue shoe shop with a huge white door.

It was then that I noticed who he was running towards.

'FABRIZIO!' he yelled with delight, as he embraced his friend tightly. A few people looked on in shock at this display of emotion in the street, but none of us seemed to care. I picked up Jack's bags, which people had helped me fill with my reclaimed shopping, and ran as fast as I could to Jack and Fabrizio.

They were still hugging when I reached them.

'Jack Dawson! Bellisima! I believed you to be dead! Oh and beautiful Rose! What a wonderful surprise, no?!' Fabrizio could not hide the excitement and happiness on his face, as he swept his dark hair out of his eyes and hugged me like I was his oldest friend.

'How did you survive? We barely made it, I was half dead when the boats finally came back.' Jack looked at Fabrizio in disbelief and shock.

'I got on the last boat, yes, with that BASTARDO Caledon, he made it, but only by pushing people away with his oar, he tried to push Helga and I away at first, but I wasn't going to let her die. I didn't see your name on the survivors list my friend, nor yours Rose...'

'Wait, did you say Helga survived too Fabri?' Jack asked. Helga and I had become very close while on the Titanic, she was the only female friend I had, except Trudy, although she was not really a friend.

'Yes yes, my beauty, my love, she lives! I wait for her now, she is shopping for shoes in there. Women!' He rolled his eyes at Jack jokingly.

At that moment, a pretty blonde young woman walked out of the large blue shop and into the street to join the three of us.

'Rose?!' she yelled happily, 'Jack! Oh Fabri said you were dead! Oh, what a great surprise!' she hugged us both.

'Where are you staying? We're heading down to Santa Monica tonight, to find a house.' Jack spoke to Fabrizio, an excitement in his voice that made my heart beat a little faster, he was as happy as I was.

'We stay with Helga's mother in L'AMERICA!' Fabrizio shouted, a wide grin spreading across his face. 'Just a few streets away. Here, I give you the address, you will write yes?'

'Of course, of course my friend!' Jack turned round so Fabrizio could scribble his temporary address onto paper while leaning on Jack.

'Well, I guess this is where we say arrivederci Jack.' A look of sadness swept across Fabrizio's face.

'It's not really goodbye, we will meet soon again Fabri. Trust me' Jack hugged his friend, even more tightly than he had done at first.

'Until we meet again Jack Dawson.' Fabrizio grinned, and with that, we parted in our different directions.

***

7.30 

It didn't take us long to board the train, and find our room, which was smaller than our hotel room but would make do for three days.

We left our belongings, and headed straight for the train restaurant, as we hadn't had much time to eat today.

I chose a chicken salad, while Jack opted for a roast turkey meal, with potatoes and vegetables. As soon as our meals arrived, I wished I had ordered what Jack had, as it was hot and looked much more filling than my salad. However, he gladly shared his food with me, noticing the look of disappointment in my eyes. He shook his head with a smile on his face, as if to say, 'What are you like Rose?'

There was nothing to do on the train after dinner, so we headed back to our room, and sat on the double bed, chatting for ages and making plans.

'I wanna go to the pier, and ride the rollercoaster, and get another hotdog, and swim in the sea, and sunbathe on the beach, and get my portrait done in a caricature style, and drink cheap beer, and –'

Jack laughed. 'Rose calm down! We will do all of those things, you've just gotta be patient! We're gonna have our whole life to do the things we planned, and explore the world together. But I promise as soon as we're settled, I'll take you the pier! Oh and I could do a caricature of you, I'm an artist if you didn't know!' Jack laughed again.

'Hmm we may have to have a repeat performance of the first drawing you did of me Jack, since that one is lost forever.' I smiled seductively.

'Ok as long as you don't mind me starting a new portfolio, Paris girl style, but in Santa Monica?' he asked seriously.

'What? Hey Jack! I'm the only girl you'll be drawing like that from now on, thank-you very much!' I pouted; a bit shocked he had asked that.

'I'm only joking honey, and you're the only girl, woman' he corrected himself, 'I want. So there!' he stuck his tongue out cheekily, and winked at me.

'Good. You can fill your portfolio with as many drawings of me as you like. Or maybe do some landscapes of the beach, like Monet? Maybe then you won't blush so much!' I giggled.

'Yeah I suppose I could try that. I really wanna make this artist thing work. Maybe sell some of my work.' Jack looked deep in thought.

'We will have a look for local galleries if you like, get your name known and then who knows? One day people could be queuing up for the latest 'Jack Dawson'!'

Jack smiled, and looked at the clock.

'I'm gonna get some sleep now sweety, I'm so tired.'

'Ok honey, you don't mind if I stay up and read for a little while do you?' I asked.

'No, you go ahead.'

A while later, I put my book down, and climbed under the covers to join Jack. He stirred a little, and turned round to face me. I snuggled up close to him, breathing in his sweet aroma.

'Mmm, I love you Rose.' He mumbled, half asleep.

'I love you too Jack.' I whispered into his ear, and drifted off to sleep, into a dream world filled with only me and Jack.

But even as I slept, there was a nagging thought at the back of my mind.  
Fabrizio said Cal had lived. How long until he found out Jack and I had survived too, and tried to track us down?


	6. Actions speak louder than words

18.3.10

Chapter 6

Actions speak louder than words

'Jack...!' Rose whined, tugging at his sleeve like a child; 'My feet hurt, when are we going back?'

'Honey just this last one. I've got a good feeling about this place'. Jack smiled as Rose rolled her eyes in impatience. He'd told her to wear sensible shoes.

The sun was shining brightly down on them, no threat of cloud in the air, seagulls were squawking and calling to each other, and the smell of salty sea air was fresh in their noses.

The couple made their way up a sandy path, and Jack held a large door open for Rose, and followed her in. They met a flight of stairs and Rose barely had time to groan in annoyance before Jack had put a finger to her lips and taken her hand in his. They walked quietly in unison up the still sandy staircase.

Soon, they reached a door, and Jack's heart began to beat a little faster.  
'Man, I hope Rose likes this' he thought to himself.  
They had arrived in Santa Monica the day before, and had been keen to find some more permanent accommodation than hotel rooms. The local estate agent had kindly offered to tour them around the flats available, but Jack knew the area like the back of his hand, so had politely declined.

He had admired this building every day when he lived in Santa Monica, but to buy or even rent a flat in it was always out of his price range.  
He knew Rose was used to luxury but believed this would be a beautiful place to live.

Palm trees were dotted outside and the beach was on their doorstep, less than a minute walk away. Each flat had a balcony either overlooking the beach, or the lively town, south of the building.

Jack fished in his pocket, until he pulled out a heavy, silver key. He turned it in the lock; and with wide eyes, took Rose's hand again, and led her into the flat.

Sun was beating down through the huge windows, casting a glittering effect all around the room.  
Together, the explored the flat, excitement showing on both of their faces.

The main room was a kitchen and living room, with enough space for a dining table. The kitchen window overlooked the town, while the beach was staring back at them from the living room window.

'So...' Rose said coyly, 'where's our bedroom?'

Jack grinned and walked over to a pine door. Pushing it open he said, 'I guess, in here?'

Their bedroom was large, with French doors leading to a balcony. The doors were open and the curtains were blowing slightly in the breeze. Rose stepped out onto the balcony and gasped at the view which met her eyes.  
The beach seemed even closer, golden sand and gleaming sapphire sea, seagulls, palm trees, and even the pier in the distance!

Rose wondered why Jack had not shown her more of Santa Monica yet, but he had deliberately avoided the pier and other places he wanted to show her.  
She had seemed so excited about Santa Monica on the Titanic only days ago, but a lifetime away in their eyes. He had promised to show her the beauty, fun and excitement of Santa Monica, and when he did, he was going to make it special.

After looking at their en-suite, Jack realised Rose had been standing on the balcony for a long time, so he followed her out.

Wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder, Jack whispered in her ear.

'So Rose, would you like to rent this flat?'

'I would love that Jack.' She whispered back.

'No second thoughts? No looking back?'

'No. Let's take it Jack.'

***

Rose sank into an old wooden deck chair, with a pretty rainbow coloured cover, on the balcony, a glowing orange sunset just in front of her eyes.

The air was warm and seagulls circled around searching for scraps of food.  
In the distance, the bright lights of the pier lit up the sky and the screams of enjoyment filled Rose with excitement.

The smell of chicken began to waft through the flat and Rose realised how hungry she was; she hadn't eaten all day.

It wasn't long before Jack called her for dinner and Rose smiled as she walked inside. The flat was still bare, with minimal furniture – there was not even a table to eat at, - but Jack had placed candles of every shape and size on the surfaces of the room, and set cushions down on the floor.

He brought two plates of food over from the kitchen and handled one to Rose before flopping down on one of the cushions. He gave Rose a cheeky grin and motioned for her to sit down.

She followed Jack's example and made a mental note to relax, it was going to take a while to get used to Jack's lifestyle, but his way of doing things was much more fun.

After dinner, the couple relaxed on the balcony, it was a clear night and the stars and moon were out.

They drifted off into their own daydreams, satisfied with the silence as they knew they didn't have to talk, just being together was enough.

Jack sat in thought for a while, thinking over the past week, plans for the future, but most importantly, Rose, Rose and more Rose.

He glanced down at her and realised she was fast asleep, her head resting on his shoulders. He lifted her up gently, blew out the candles on the balcony, and carried her to bed, whispering softly, 'I love you.'


End file.
